10. Falcon's Fury (Busch Gardens Tampa, USA)

Busch Gardens Tampa's skyscraping new addition will stand at some 335-feet-tall, and will plummet towards the ground at 60 miles per hour. The drop tower's chief gimmick, though, will be that it twists guests by 90 degrees so that they are facing directly downwards before they freefall down to the bottom. Falcon's Fury will become the tallest freestanding drop tower in North America when it opens.

Falcon's Fury will be themed around the concept of diving towards the earth like a bird of prey. The ride will replace the former Sandstorm flat ride, which was recently removed from the park.

9. Banshee (Kings Island, USA)

Banshee will be the longest inverted roller coaster in the world at 4,124 feet. It will include seven inversions and, interestingly, will reach its top speed of 68 miles per hour in the middle of the ride’s course, not at the bottom of the 150 foot first drop.

The striking blue supports hold magenta track – fitting for the ride’s supernatural theme, and for its second calling card: being “the first female-inspired thrill ride at a Cedar Fair park.”

8. Goliath (Six Flags Great America, USA)

Six Flags Great America will receive a major new addition in 2014, with the park due to open Goliath, the world's fastest wooden roller coaster.

Goliath will be manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, which was also behind the unique Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City. The ride will stand at some 165 feet tall, and will feature a sharply-angled 45 degree lift hill. On reaching the top of this, riders will plummet down a 180 foot drop at an 85 degree angle into an underground tunnel, hitting a top speed of 72 miles per hour.

The remainder of the circuit includes a 180-degree zero-g roll, that emerges into a traditional vertical loop. Riders will then pass through a new element dubbed the "inverted zero-g stall", which consists of a camelback-style hill and a 180-degree inversion, so that riders crest the hill in an upside-down position.

7. Wonder Mountain's Guardian (Canada's Wonderland, Canada)

Canada's Wonderland will open a new 4D dark ride inside its iconic Wonder Mountain in 2014, in a move that could be indicative of a change of direction from owner Cedar Fair.

Wonder Mountain's Guardian will be an interactive ride based on a 1,000-foot roller coaster-style track, and will be themed around a mythical creature that lives inside the mountain. Riders will first climb up the side of the mountain, before plummeting through its interior. The surrounding scenes are set to include a desolate forest, an underground lake and "Draconian City". A final battle inside a dragon's lair will be designed to "shock".

Fittingly, Montreal-based Triotech has developed the technology behind Canada's Wonderland's new ride. Wonder Mountain's Guardian will feature 3D effects overlaid with 4D elements such as wind and water tricks. RIders will be equipped with weapons boasting "the fastest, most-accurate target system", with "real-time graphics" being employed to show the impact of their shooting. The world's longest interactive screen will help to add to the immersive experience.

6. Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom (Six Flags Great Adventure, USA)

Six Flags Great Adventure will open a record-breaking new freefall drop tower in 2014, with Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom to be mounted to the Kingda Ka's roller coaster's tower.

The attraction will lift riders to some 415 feet in the air, before sending them plummeting back towards the ground below at 90 miles per hour. Three separate drop rides will be installed, each capable of holding up to 8 riders at a time. To increase capacity, the gondolas will be blasted to the top of the tower in just 30 seconds.

5. Hogwarts Express (Universal Orlando, USA)

Linking the existing Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure with the under-construction Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, the Hogwarts Express will recreate the journey taken by Potter and his friends at the start and finish of every year at Hogwarts. It will actually travel through a backstage area between the two parks, but multimedia technology will be used to convince guests that they are journeying between London and Hogsmeade.

Initially, Universal envisaged the attraction as little more than a basic transportation link. But it quickly became clear that many fans were more excited about the Hogwarts Express than they are about the rest of Diagon Alley. Now, the Hogwarts Express will be a full multi-sensory experience, telling a story as well as getting guests from A to B.

Linking two lands with a shared theme in two entirely separate theme parks, the Hogwarts Express will be a truly unique attraction. In fact, it's the only ride listed in our extensive database of 3,500 attractions that is listed as belonging to two parks!

4. Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy (Walt Disney Studios, Paris)

Walt Disney Studios' Ratatouille dark ride, based on the 2007 Pixar film of the same name, will see guests "shrunk" down to the size of a rat. The ride will begin in Gusteau's restaurant, before taking riders on a wild chase through key scenes from the movie. Disney will reuse the trackless ride system from Tokyo Disneyland's Pooh's Hunny Hunt attraction, which allows full 360 degree rotation of the ride cars.

The surrounding area is set to be themed around a Parisian courtyard. As well as several mock building façades, the area will also feature an elaborate fountain. Part of the ride building's exterior is set to be themed as Gusteau's restaurant from the movie, and the building is expected to house an actual restaurant in addition to the ride.

3. Helix (Liseberg, Sweden)

Sweden's Liseberg will open an ambitious new coaster for the 2014 season. The Mack launch coaster will feature a staggeringly-long 4,500-foot circuit and a two-minute ride time, hitting a top speed of 62 miles per hour. Two launch sections and six inversions will add to the excitement.

2. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Disney's Magic Kingdom, USA)

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will take guests on a musical ride deep into a diamond mine. It will feature a first-of-its-kind ride system that will allow the vehicles to swing back and forth as they move along the twisting track, accompanied by tunes from the movie's soundtrack.

The coaster will be manufactured by Vekoma (a favorite of Disney, responsible for nearly all of its modern steel roller coaster work) and will feature both indoor and outdoor sections. Disney has described the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as sitting somewhere between Barnstormer and Big Thunder Mountain in terms of thrills. With those rides reaching top speeds of 20mph and 30mph respectively, it's unlikely that the new ride will rocket around its course - with the thrills more likely to come from the swinging action of the cars.

1. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (Universal Studios Florida, USA)

The headline attraction of the under-construction Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida will be a major new roller coaster themed around Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Harry’s first encounter with the bank is an innocent descent in its mine-cart-style conveyance in the first film; by the last, the out-of-control race through the vaults was accompanied by loops, waterfalls, and captive dragons - perfect material for a theme park ride.

So what will the Gringotts Bank roller coaster be like? Well, Universal hasn't unveiled the details of what could be one of its most impressive rides yet. But we do know what Universal is working with: an increasingly impressive arsenal of technological innovation. After its outstanding and unparalleled foray into what can only be described as “4D motion-base dark-ride simulator” technology with 1999’s The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and the even-more-progressive Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, you can bet that a Gringotts roller coaster will not be a Space Mountain-style ride in the dark.

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